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narrative interest proper. Being a Sanskrit romance of a mixed species called Campū, these features are rarely to be encountered in the MRA, since, inspite of his command over a rich variety of lexical and poetic details, the poet rarely allows himself to lose sight of the thread of the narrative by unnecessarily loosing himself in the lust of lusciously long descriptions in a bid to exhibit his scholarly equipment. As a story-teller his only worry is to exploit it to the maximum possible extent for the purposes poetical and religio-ethical. To this end he never misses any narrative opportunity of showing off his literary craftsmanship nor does he let any incident pass without having sufficiently utilized it for ethical preaching. At the same time, his descriptions are never too long nor recurring, as his didactic outbursts are never farfetched or unexpected, since both are carefully fitted in the context with a sense of propriety at every point.
The Erotic is treated in the context of the Spring season and youthful pleasures. Having taken the hero and the heroine to the garden for a pleasure trip, the poet sets out to delineate the Erotic sentiment.1 The Vaitalika guides the prince through a number of enjoyable spots and the latter excitedly exclaims to his beloved :
48
वारितो रविरसौ त्वदानने यत् क्षिपन् कमलशङ्कया करान् । बिभ्रतोपरिपटीमिमां मया पश्य पश्य मुखमुन्नतं कुरु ॥ ७
As a prelude to the Sunset, noteworthy :
17. MRA, pp. 88-89. 18. Ibid., vs, 197.
19. MRA., pp. 91-92,
इतश्च प्रतिहतयदृच्छा प्रचारः प्रमदवनविहारपरिश्रमजनितपीडाभिः, अशङ्कमज्जनोन्मज्जनविहितविलासिनीजनत्रीडाभिः, अहमहमिकाप्रस्तूयमानाभिः, अनवच्छिन्नजलक्रीडाभिः इव आकृष्यमाणेन; निजवदनतुहीन कर निरस्यमानध्वान्तसन्तानसमानमधुकरस्थानदानापराधेन इव निजनिजमूलस्थानलतावितानाद् अवचितैः, अतुलपरिमलविशालदलरामणीयकगुणेन इव विचित्रविरचनाप्रतिपत्तिपुरस्कृतैः, पुनः उचितज्ञताज्ञापनारसिकतया इव स्वशरीरस्वस्वस्थाननिवेशितैः कुसुमभरैः, अलङ्कृतानां विलाखिनीनां दर्शनार्थम् इव समासीदता; जनितपर भोगाङ्गरागसन्नाह सन्नद्धानाम्, उत्कुण्ठोत्कण्ठवण्ठपुरस्कारव्यापाराणां प्रत्यासीदद नङ्गके लिमहा समरसंरम्भाणां संभोगरङ्गवीराणां कौतुकं वीक्षितुम् इव आगतवता; भुवनसंतापविलोकनसंजातकरुणेन इव गलहस्तितः अपराहूणेन गतोऽपर समुद्रतटीम् उष्णकरः । 19
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